Many consumer products are supplied in bottles or jars. Often these bottles or jars are capable of being damaged during transit or on handling of the product in the warehouse, shop, or home. This is particularly true when the bottle or jar is made of a fragile material, such as glass. Methods of protecting such packaged consumer products from damage are known in the art and commonly comprise some kind of secondary packaging, such as protective boxes or sleeves. Examples of such packaging are described in GB 412,609 (Universal Seamless Containers Ltd.) and in GB 780,922 (Unilever Ltd.). Other examples of secondary packaging for consumer goods are aimed largely at improving the appearance of the packaged product, examples being described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,162,998 (Fisher) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,416 (Douglas et al).
The invention described herein is, in one aspect, a method of protective secondary packaging. The method described offers the additional benefits of ease of use by the consumer and open design, the latter benefit enabling much of the protected article to seen by the consumer prior to removal of the protective packaging. The ease of use of the present invention contrasts with many methods of secondary packaging, which make access to the contained consumer product difficult: removal of the secondary packaging being inconvenient and time-consuming. Other methods involving secondary packaging have the problem that the packaging is torn or damaged in some other way on removal, thereby preventing its re-use. Yet other methods involve secondary packaging that cover a large percentage of the consumer product, leading to a significant increase in the total pack cost and increased environmental impact, as well as the problem of the consumer being unable to see much of the protected article.
A further problem with many packaged consumer products supplied in bottles or jars is the ease with which they can be placed on supermarket shelves facing the wrong way, resulting in their label and/or logo not being immediately visible to the shoppers. This is particularly true of packages having similarly shaped fronts and backs. Use of a secondary packaging unit having front-back asymmetry around the jar or bottle can alleviate this problem.
Bottles or jars often present the additional problem that their surface has a low coefficient of friction, making them difficult to grip. This is true for many glass bottles and jars, for example. The low coefficient of friction of bottles and jars is a particular problem when there is a lubricant present, either on the surface of the bottle or jar or on the consumer's hand, an example being moisture from hand perspiration. An obvious solution to this problem would be to use a material having a higher coefficient of friction; however, this is not always desirable or possible. An alternative solution is the use of present invention.